Planet Ventura

Surfer's Point makeover

Surfer’s Point is getting a much needed makeover, and soon it will not be a hazard for cyclists and other pedestrians who use the neighboring trail.

The month-long operation, dubbed the Surfer’s Point Cobble Nourishment project, will remove debris from the beach that was dumped there years prior and restore the beach that has lost much of its sand to erosion.

The 500-foot stretch of shoreline has eroded in such a way that several palm trees are in danger of being destroyed. The area has already lost up to 40 feet of beach. To prevent continued erosion, 4,000 tons of cobblestones from Santa Paula Creek will be used to widen the beach by 10 feet.

As part of the cleanup, several pieces of manmade detritus have been removed from the shore.

“We’re removing a lot of unnatural debris from old construction,” said Joe McDermott, principal civil engineer with the Public Works Department. “We just pulled out an engine block, a chassis from a car, a whole bunch of very large, reinforced concrete bricks filled with rebar.”

The Ventura Public Works Department has plans to ultimately nourish 800 feet total, but only has funds currently for 500. McDermott expects the project to be completed by the end of the month.